A Reading Course in Homeric Greek, Book 2

A Reading Course in Homeric Greek

297 ἔλπῃ = ἔλπηαι, contracted (New Grammar, §70, below). Once again, the construction is

Future More Vivid (§247a in Book 1). ἀφῖχθαι : pf. inf. of ἀφικνέομαι in indirect statement

after ἔλπῃ, with subject ἥμεας. δώματ’ is acc. of goal of motion (§18d in Book 1).

298 ἴμεν, ἐρέεσθαι : infinitives as imperatives (§148 in Book 1). ἐρέεσθαι : “inquire about” (2

aor. from εἴρομαι, not εἴρω).

70. NEW GRAMMAR: Further Vowel Contraction

Some of the more common vowel contractions found in Homer were introduced in §399 in Book

I. As you can see from the example of ἔλπῃ in line 297, there are other contractable combinations

of vowels. Here are some of the more common:

α + οι = οι as in ἐάοι, ἐοῖ

ε + αι = ῃ as in λύεαι, λύῃ

ε + η = η as in φιλέητε, φιλῆτε

ε + ῃ = ῃ as in φιλέῃς, φιλῇ

ε + οι = οι as in φιλέοις, φιλοῖς

η + αι = ῃ as in ἔλπηαι, ἔλπῃ

ο + η = ω as in χολόητε, χολῶτε

ο + ῃ = ῳ as in χολόῃς, χολῷς

ο + οι = οι as in χολόοι, χολοῖ

Complete charts of all possible vowel contractions in Greek can be found in :

Smyth, Herbert Weir. 1984. Greek Grammar. Revised by Gordon M. Messing.

Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Goodwin, William W. 1972. A Greek Grammar. Basingstoke and London.